Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen 西九州新幹線

Shinkansen · JR Kyushu 九州旅客鉄道 · 5 stations

How to ride JR Kyushu (Kyushu Railway Company) P

Operator-wide facts from JR Kyushu (Kyushu Railway Company)'s own pages; individual lines and stations can differ.

IC cards (Suica etc.)Some cards or areas PSUGOCA, Kitaca, Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca +4 more

Credit card touchNot confirmed

Delays & suspensionsLive status →By area and Shinkansen line; English, Chinese and Korean via AI translation

Step-free accessStation list → PPer-line PDFs show the barrier-free facilities of each station; elevators linking street, concourse and platforms and multipurpose toilets are installed first at stations used by 3,000+ people a day (2,000+ in local plans).

Passes7 valid herefrom ¥3,000

IC cards and payment in detail

IC cards work only inside JR Kyushu's SUGOCA areas, not on the whole network. There are three separate areas: Fukuoka–Saga–Nagasaki–Ōita–Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and Miyazaki (JR Kyushu announced the date of the Miyazaki expansion on 8 December 2025); JR Kyushu shows the stations on its SUGOCA area route map. Outside these areas the card cannot be used, you cannot ride past the area edge or pay the excess there by card, and one trip cannot cross from one SUGOCA area to another. The stored-value balance cannot be used on the Kyushu or Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen. For trips that leave the area or connect to the Shinkansen, buy a ticket for the whole journey before boarding. The other nationwide cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, Kitaca, TOICA, manaca, PiTaPa, Hayakaken, nimoca) are accepted in the SUGOCA areas under nationwide mutual use, per the card issuers' pages; the PASMO page notes a few lines do not take every card. Contactless credit card touch at JR Kyushu gates: not confirmed. P

上記エリア外ではSUGOCAを利用できません。エリア外への乗り越し、エリア外でのSUGOCAによる精算はできません。

Staffed stationsUnstaffed stations

Getting on

Inside a SUGOCA area: use SUGOCA or another nationwide IC card at the ticket gate.
If your trip leaves the SUGOCA area, crosses into another SUGOCA area, or continues on the Shinkansen, buy a ticket for the whole journey before you board instead of using the IC card.
Touch one card only: with two IC cards in the same case the gate will not let you through.

Getting off

Touch the IC card on the exit gate. If you pass without touching, the card cannot be used next time.
If the gate beeps and stays closed (balance too low, entry not recorded), read the message on the display.
Combining a discount ticket or other ticket with the IC card balance: use the fare adjustment machine or ask the staff at the gate.

Getting on

Every passenger needs a ticket to the destination, a boarding certificate (乗車駅証明書) or a numbered ticket (整理券) when boarding. Keep it until you reach your destination.
IC card: touch the simple SUGOCA reader (簡易SUGOCA改札機) at stations without staff too.

Getting off

IC card: touch the simple SUGOCA reader when you get off. The crew may check the card's entry record when you get off at a station without staff.
Where the conductor or driver collects tickets at a station without staff, show your SUGOCA and then touch the reader.
If the card cannot be processed where no staff are present, tell the staff at a staffed station in the SUGOCA area the next time you use it.

Wheelchair assistance

JR Kyushu Anshin Support Net reception centre (JR九州あんしんサポートネット受付案内センター), 5:30–24:00 (call charges apply; automated voice reception, then an operator calls back). Book help with boarding or wheelchair spaces by phone, online or at a staffed station; wheelchair-space bookings run from 10:00 one month before to two days before departure. At staffed stations staff guide you to the platform and help you on and off. Many stations are unstaffed: for help there, contact the line's booking point in advance (help available from first to last train). Smart Support Station lines (Kashii Line, Chikuhō Line Wakamatsu–Shin-Iriya, Ōita area, Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line Kōrimoto–Kiire) have their own support centres, e.g. Kashii Support Centre 0120-012-180. On the Kashii Line the train crew can help wheelchair users on and off at most stations even without advance notice. Tel. 0570-07-8787

Sources checked 2026-10-10 · review: draft_unreviewed

www.jrkyushu.co.jp/railway/facility/barrier_free/ · official accessibility page · checked 2026-10-10
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/sugoca/area/ · official ic card page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/sugoca/ · official ic card page · checked 2026-10-07
www.pasmo.co.jp/about/sharing/ · card issuer page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jr-odekake.net/icoca/area/ · card issuer page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/railway/facility/barrier_free/assist/ · official accessibility page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/railway/facility/barrier_free/kuruma_isu/ · official accessibility page · checked 2026-10-07
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/sugoca/use/machine/ · official ic card page · checked 2026-10-08
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/railway/onegai/ · official rules page · checked 2026-10-08
www.jrkyushu.co.jp/trains/info/ · official status page · checked 2026-10-09

Passes valid on this line 7 P

Day passes, regional passes and special tickets that include this line, cheapest first. 4 of them are sold only to foreign visitors. Prices and rules change: check the official page before you buy.

Anyone can buy Until 21 Dec 20263 days · Unlimited rides

"Kyushu de Aou" Unlimited Pass (all Kyushu, incl. Shinkansen)

旅して応援「九州であおう」乗り放題パス · JR Kyushu

¥23,000 Adult · ¥3,000 Child (only with an adult) ¥1,000/day

3 consecutive days, between 1 Oct and 24 Dec 2026.

Compare

Anyone can buy 2 days · Unlimited rides

GO WEST Nishi-Kyushu Marutto Unlimited Ride Ticket

GO WEST西九州まるっと乗り放題きっぷ · JR Kyushu

¥9,990 2 days (adult and child same price) · ¥10,990 3 days (adult and child same price) ¥4,995/day

2 or 3 consecutive days, between 4 Oct 2026 and 31 Jan 2027.

Compare

Seniors 3 days · Unlimited rides

Hello! Jiyū Jikan Net Pass (members 60+)

ハロー！自由時間ネットパス／グリーンネットパス · JR Kyushu

¥11,300 Northern Kyushu · ¥22,800 All Kyushu · ¥13,500 Green version, Northern Kyushu · +1 more ¥3,767/day

3 consecutive days. Up to 6 reserved seats (Green version: Green or ordinary).

Compare

Foreign visitors only 3 days · Unlimited rides

JR Kyushu Rail Pass (Northern Kyushu)

JR九州レールパス（北部九州） · JR Kyushu

¥15,000 Adult, 3 days · ¥7,500 Child (6–11), 3 days · ¥17,000 Adult, 5 days · +5 more ¥4,667/day

3 or 5 consecutive days.

Compare

Foreign visitors only 3 days · Unlimited rides

JR Kyushu Rail Pass (All Kyushu)

JR九州レールパス（全九州） · JR Kyushu

¥22,000 Adult, 3 days · ¥11,000 Child (6–11), 3 days · ¥24,000 Adult, 5 days · +9 more ¥7,000/day

3, 5 or 7 consecutive days.

Compare

Foreign visitors only 7 days · Unlimited rides

Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Pass

Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Pass · JR West

¥26,000 Adult, 7 days · ¥13,000 Child (6–11), 7 days ¥3,714/day

7 consecutive days, from 0:00 on the first day to 24:00 on the last day. Child = 6–11 years old when bought; up to two children aged 1–5 travel free with each pass holder (without own seat).

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Foreign visitors only 7 days · Unlimited rides

Japan Rail Pass

ジャパン・レール・パス · JR Group (JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku, JR Kyushu)

¥50,000 Ordinary, 7 days, adult (official web sales) · ¥25,000 Ordinary, 7 days, child 6–11 (official web sales) · ¥80,000 Ordinary, 14 days, adult (official web sales) · +21 more ¥7,143/day

7, 14 or 21 consecutive days from the start date you choose. Child = 6 to 11 years old at the time of use.

Compare

1 area pass that may also be valid

These passes cover an area of this operator's network that the issuer describes only in words or on a map. Check the area before you buy.

JR Kyushu Mobile Pass (Fukuoka Wide Area) · ¥3,500 Adult, 2 days · ¥1,750 Child (6–11), 2 days · JR Kyushu local, rapid and limited express trains (non-reserved seats) in the suburban area around Fukuoka, including Mojikō (e.g. Sonic Hakata–Yukuhashi, Kamome/Midori Hakata–Tosu, Yufu Hakata–Kurume) (area estimated from the official map).

IC cards (Suica, ICOCA…) P

SUGOCA area: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto SUGOCA and the other nationwide IC cards (Suica, ICOCA, TOICA, PASMO, nimoca, Hayakaken…)
4 of 5 stations estimated from the official map

1 station is not in the IC areas we have; check at the station.

How IC card areas work →

Before you travel

Using passesBuying a pass: who can, where and when
The JAPAN RAIL PASS is for foreign tourists entering as Temporary Visitors; get the stamp at immigration. Buying on the official website is cheaper than an exchange order from an agency abroad. Pick the pass up in Japan with your original passport. JR passes run on consecutive days and the start date cannot be changed once you have the pass.
Using passesUsing a rail pass at the gates and on board
Put a paper JR pass through the automatic gate (not the IC-only ones) or show it at the staffed gate; app passes are shown to staff. Always carry your passport. Seat reservations are free with the pass, but the JAPAN RAIL PASS does not cover Nozomi/Mizuho, private railways or JR highway buses, and a lost pass is not reissued.
FaresChildren's fares
Children aged 6 to 11 (and 12-year-olds still in elementary school) pay half fare; under-6s ride free, up to 2 per paying adult or child. A small child who takes their own reserved seat needs a child ticket. Child IC cards (Welcome Suica Child, child ICOCA) need the child's ID, and rail passes for children are half price.
Seat reservationsBooking seats on JR Kyushu trains
Use JR Kyushu Net Reservation (QR ticketless) for limited expresses, D&S trains and the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, and smartEX / Express Reservation for the Kyushu Shinkansen Hakata – Kagoshima-Chuo. Seats go on sale at 10:00 one month ahead; visitors can use JR-KYUSHU Train Reservation in English.
Seat reservationsBooking the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen (smartEX / EX)
Reserved seats go on sale at 10:00 one month before travel; with smartEX or Express Reservation you can book up to one year ahead and ride by tapping your IC card. Nozomi has non-reserved cars 1–2, except in peak periods when it is all reserved.
Big stationsHakata Station: lines, transfers, lockers and step-free routes
Hakata is shared by JR Kyushu (local lines and the Kyushu Shinkansen), JR West (Sanyo Shinkansen) and the Fukuoka City Subway (Airport and Nanakuma lines). The Hakata exit faces Tenjin, the Chikushi exit faces the airport side; Shinkansen gates are towards the Chikushi side, and there are transfer gates between JR local lines and the Shinkansen.
LuggageLarge suitcases on the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen
Bags over 160 cm (length + width + height) need a seat with an oversized baggage area, booked in advance at no extra cost. Without one you pay a 1,000 yen fee.
LuggageTravel without your suitcase: delivery and lockers
Send bags from the airport, a station or your hotel to the next hotel the same day, or leave them in a station coin locker (about 300 to 1,000 yen).
LuggageWhat you can take on Japanese trains
On JR and most private railways you can take 2 bags free, each up to 250 cm (length + width + height), 2 m long and 30 kg. Small pets in a carrier cost a small fee.

Stations

In order along the main route; branch stations, if any, are listed at the end. English names and readings where OpenStreetMap has them.

#	Station	English	Passengers / day (2024)	Guide / other lines
1	長崎ながさき 🗣	Nagasaki	18,982	Nagasaki Main Line
2	諫早 🗣	Isahaya	10,254	JR Omura Line, Nagasaki Main Line
3	新大村 🗣	Shin-Ōmura	1,884	JR Omura Line
4	嬉野温泉うれしのおんせん 🗣	Ureshino-Onsen
5	武雄温泉タケオオンセン 🗣	Takeo Onsen	4,160	Nagasaki Main Line Local

Passengers per day: people boarding and getting off on an average day, all operators at the station counted once each (MLIT station passenger data S12).

Lines and stations: 「国土数値情報（鉄道データ、駅別乗降客数データ）」（国土交通省）を加工して作成 (MLIT National Land Numerical Information, railway data N02-24 and station passengers S12-25, CC BY 4.0). English station names and readings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), where they match. Data & credits.